Basic Trope: A statement with no deeper meaning is mistaken for something meaningful.
- Straight: Bob mentions that a platypus is controlling him. Alice, Charlie, and Derek believe that this is a metaphor for the struggles of life, and praise him for coming up with such an interesting phrase. In reality, Bob is actually being controlled by a platypus.
- Exaggerated: Bob's statement is a huge hit and even becomes a widely-used saying.
- Downplayed: Alice, Charlie, and Derek find the phrase interesting and somewhat more meaningful than it actually is, but decide not to dwell on it too much.
- Justified:
- Alice, Charlie, and Derek tend to over-analyze statements.
- "Platypus" could easily be a metaphor for something strange, due to the oddity of the creature.
- Alice, Charlie, and Derek don't know that Bob is literally being controlled by a platypus.
- Inverted: Bob tries to make a meaningful statement, but it comes out sounding meaningless.
- Subverted: Alice, Charlie, and Derek learn that Bob actually was being controlled by a platypus.
- Double Subverted: They still admire the statement anyway.
- Parodied: Bob comes up with a song that makes no sense whatsoever. It's hailed as more meaningful than the works of William Shakespeare and even inspires an Accidental Dance Craze.
- Zig-Zagged: Alice finds the statement meaningful, Charlie is confused, and Derek thinks that Bob is being literal.
- Averted: No statements are mistaken for being meaningful.
- Enforced: Rule of Funny.
- Lampshaded: "I didn't mean for that to be so meaningful, but... Sure, Let's Go with That."
- Invoked: Emily tells Bob to say a nonsensical phrase to a group of people, hoping they'll find it meaningful.
- Exploited: Bob is excited about his newfound popularity, and uses that to his advantage.
- Defied:
- Everyone finds Bob's statement silly or nonsensical.
- Bob outright says that a platypus is actually controlling him, and that he needs help.
- Discussed: "What do you think that metaphor could mean?"
- Conversed: "I wonder why they think that has such a deep meaning."
- Deconstructed: Because everyone thinks that Bob is only metaphorically being controlled by a platypus, they don't actually help him out.
Back to Mistaken for Profound
